“I'm really lucky to have a job that I absolutely feel passionate about”: Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan’s Research on Sexual Behaviour and Intimate Relationships

(Photo provided by Lucia O’Sullivan)

“I particularly like research that I think is going to correct a long-held stereotype or belief about the way we operate in our close relationships.” ~ Lucia O’Sullivan

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*In the following interview, TS refers to The Synapse and LO refers to Lucia O’Sullivan;

TS: Could you briefly introduce yourself and what brought you to UNB?

LO: My name is Lucia O’Sullivan and I am a professor at UNB. I grew up in England, lived in Ontario, and my family moved to NB when I was a teen. UNB is where I completed my Honours degree in psychology. Afterwards, I moved away to the States, returned to do my Masters in Clinical Psychology, and then moved back to the States to earn my PhD in Experimental Psychology. I lived in the US for a long time, but I was eventually invited back to accept a Canada Research Chair Award in 2006 and I have been here ever since!

TS: What is your research area, and how did you settle on this area?

LO: I study sexual behavior and intimate relationships. I started work in this area thanks to my Honours research with my supervisor, Dr. Sandra Byers. 

My honours thesis was on men’s and women’s initiation and rejection of sex in their intimate relationships - it was the first peer-reviewed article that I have published. I found that the stereotype of men as the sexual initiators, and women waiting for men to make the first move,  has never been an accurate portrayal of what actually happens in relationships.

TS: How do you come up with research ideas, and gauge when an idea is worthwhile to pursue?

LO: I love to study questions that intrigue my friends and me when we’re talking about relationships, wondering why people do the things they do, or when I notice a glaring gap in the literature. I particularly like research that I think is going to correct a long-held stereotype or belief about the way we operate in our close relationships.

One of my favourite studies was a series of experiments where we assessed men’s and women’s automatic pairing of sex and romance with “good” and “bad” categories to assess implicit (or automatic) associations. I conducted this study with a graduate student after we had discussed whether in fact the stereotype was accurate that women are primarily interested in romance and men in sex. What emerged was that both men and women had more automatic positive associations with romance than sex! 

TS: What do you consider traits of a strong student and student researcher?

LO: Creative thinking! Plus it helps to love to read, write, and do math!

TS: Why did you choose to study psychology, and at what point did you know you wanted to pursue it (e.g. high school, university, etc)? Is there any discipline you seriously considered other than psychology?

LO: I entered university convinced I was going to be an English major, and ultimately a writer, because I do love reading and writing. However, I took my first intro class in psychology and never looked back. The funny thing is though that I really am a writer today! So much of my work - papers, proposals, reference letters - is about writing, and certainly the parts I like most about my work are the writing and editing.

TS: Do you have a favourite psychological film/ book/ song/ artwork/ etc? If so, which, and what do you like about it?

LO: The types of films, books, music, and art that I love and are drawn to are pretty unrelated to psychology. However, I get so much out of TED talks and find lots of inspiration from listening to presentations by people working on the most amazing areas of work. But if I were to answer this question more directly, I would say that books by S. Miller really capture so much of the types of tangles that appeal to me in the study of close relationships. 

TS: Is there anything else you wish to share about yourself as a psych professor and researcher?

LO: I think I'm really lucky to have a job that I absolutely feel passionate about. I get to work with young people while teaching, and those who are beginning their careers in the field. Nothing is more fun to me than sharing enthusiasm about research, and I think the reason things have gone so well for me in my career is because I am enthusiastic. I absolutely love what I do and people realize that and respond to that, which helps inspire them to learn or become researchers. However, I also have a very rich non-work life and I think the combination of those two things makes for real happiness. Ψ

Created for The Synapse by Incé Husain.